Featured Artist

"I found Bali to be culturally rich, full of beautiful scenery and art."

"I'm Antonius Kristiadi, and people call me Anton Papo. I was born in Java in 1970.

"My parents wanted me to study medicine to have a better future, but I was more interested in drawing and art. That's where my spirit is. However, my parents said an artist didn't have a clear future. I ran away to Bali a few months after starting medical school in Java.

"I found Bali to be culturally rich, full of beautiful scenery and art. I decided to study art in Bali but, a few days after classes started, my parents asked me to return. They agreed I could study graphic art, but wanted me to study in Yogjakarta so I wouldn't be so far away from them.

"After receiving a degree in art, I worked for a company making caricatures, comics and illustrations. I met many people who really enjoy art like I do, including artists who inspired me to become a painter.

"I remembered how inspiring Bali is and how being there could help develop my talent. Since it is a tourism area, there was also a better possibility to sell my works. I decided to move to Bali and focus on painting and participating in exhibitions.

"I'm married to a woman from Jakarta and we have three children. Having children has given me extra incentive to give them a better future. I combine acrylic, pencil and ink on canvas with a contemporary style and wordplay. I've created my won style, which has evolved from caricatures, abstracts and deforming objects. While I sell my paintings, I'm very idealistic and don't seek to impress people or paint for commercial purposes."

Popular People and Portraits Modern and Freestyle Paintings

In this whimsical freestyle painting by Balinese artist Anton Papo a person swings a red racket at a group of over-sized mosquitoes that attack in a swarm. An inscription reads "the mosquitoes... Read More

"This portrait represents the starting point of writing and structural composition of that which is material and which isn't. The woman, lying down, recognizes in herself the presence of that... Read More

Expressing spirituality and a whimsical personality, this freestyle painting by Balinese artist Anton Papo depicts the Indonesian goddess Quan Yin as she bestows a watery blessing upon the smiling... Read More